Centre for Transport and Logistics (CENTRAL)

This centre uses an interdisciplinary research approach to provide cutting-edge sustainable solutions, with research covering a wide spectrum of issues.

About CENTRAL

This centre, known as CENTRAL, explores research interests covering a wide spectrum of issues associated with the organisation, planning, design, operation, and control of transportation and logistical systems. Currently, our research activities focus on airport and air traffic management, hazardous materials transportation, demand responsive transport systems, multimodal itinerary planning, emergency response and humanitarian logistics, green and city logistics, and project management.

Advances in information and communication technologies make possible the acquisition, transmission, and processing of big data that can track, monitor, and manage transportation and logistics assets around the globe. The availability of big data, coupled with predictive, descriptive, and prescriptive analytics, and the capabilities of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) provide huge opportunities for better understanding and managing transportation and logistical systems.

The interrelation between application areas and methodologies is illustrated in the CENTRAL diagram.‌

Our Mission

We aim to develop strong ties with all stakeholders involved in, and affected by, the development and operation of transportation and logistics systems (e.g. companies, governmental and non-governmental organisations), and promote international research cooperation

Our Research Themes

In addition to taking the lead in the two research centres mentioned above, the Department of Management Science has particular strengths in the seven research areas listed below.

Aviation and Air Transport

Aviation plays an increasingly important role for the efficient transport of passengers and goods in the globalized economy. The rapid increase in demand for air transport services, coupled with the scarcity of airport and air-space capacity, require the development and implementation of models and solution methods that can optimally determine the capacity of the various components of the air transport system, make optimum use of available resources, and estimate the impacts associated with the operation of the air transport system.

CENTRAL researchers have worked extensively on Aviation and Air Transport-related projects. Currently, our research activities are focussing on the development of decision support capabilities associated with the Optimization of Airport Operations and Planning, Air Traffic Flow Optimisation, Aircraft Maintenance and Airline Scheduling.

Freight Transport Logistics

Freight Transport Logistics focuses on the planning, organisation, management, control and execution of freight transport operations in the supply chain. CENTRALresearchers have worked on several projects related to Freight Transport and Logistics.

Recently, we have been working on several decision problems for transhipment terminals and general routing aspects arising in the industry related to 1) the optimization of transhipment operations, 2) vehicle routing and scheduling with environmental and societal considerations and 3) hazardous materials transportation. We are developing mathematical models and algorithms that are able to capture the inherent dynamics and stochasticity of the problems.

Public and Shared Transport Systems

CENTRALresearchers have been working on various problems of shared transport systems and multimodal itinerary planning. Recently, we have been addressing issues related to strategic, tactical and operational decisions in (electric) carsharing systems.

Our current research interests are focusing on an implementation of an operational framework which deals with decisions of carsharing systems (e.g. relocation of vehicles and personnel, accepting/rejecting demand) in real time. We are also working on developing mathematical models and efficient algorithms for solving multimodal, multicriteria, international, door-to-door trip planning systems.

Emergency Response Logistics

Large scale technological and natural disasters require the effective planning and deployment of emergency response resources that are the responsibility of a diverse set of public and private organisations. Emergency response logistics constitutes an essential component of emergency response management and provides the means for coping effectively with the negative impacts of large scale disasters.

CENTRAL researchers have been working on diverse problems related to emergency response logistics, addressing issues related to location of emergency response units, designing districts for emergency response units, coordinated deployment of emergency response resources, and evacuation management. Our current research interests are focussing on the development and implementation of models able to forecast the temporal and spatial characteristics of disasters, the optimum scheduling of emergency response crews, and the optimization of evacuation operations in large scale disasters.

Research Projects

Research Project: OR-MASTER

OR-MASTER

OR-MASTER is led by a team at Lancaster University Management School, working with Computing, Science and Mathematics researchers at the Queen Mary University of London. The research has been funded by the EPSRC (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council) in response to growing concerns over airport capacity, rising demand, and the impact of congestion on both the travelling public and the air transport industry.

The work will build on the UK's world-leading expertise in Operational Research to find the most efficient ways to schedule flights, developing and testing new models and solution algorithms that take into account all the factors involved in the allocation of flight 'slots': individual airport operations, networks of airports, airline operations, air traffic management systems, airport authorities, civil aviation authorities, airlines and the travelling public.

Project lead, Professor Konstantinos G. Zografos at Lancaster University Management School, said: "Existing approaches to airport slot allocation do not consider all the real-world complexity involved. Therefore, there is room to improve airport capacity utilization which will benefit airlines, airports and the travelling public."

This research group participates in a wide range of activities and hosts events such as conferences, presentations and more. Visit OR-MASTER Past Events for more information, and refer to the articles below:

Research Project: OptiFrame

OptiFrame

An optimization framework for trajectory based operations. OptiFrame is a two-year SESAR 2020 Exploratory Research Project led by Lancaster University in partnership with EUROCONTROL (European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation, Belgium), CFR (Consorzio Futuro in Ricerca, Italy) and NLR (Stichting Nationaal Lucht- En Ruimtevaartlaboratorium, The Netherlands). The project started on the 1st March 2016, and will be completed on the 28th February 2018. View our publications.

Project

The main objective of the OptiFrame research project is the application of principles of mathematical modelling and optimization to configure and assess the performance of the Trajectory Based Operations (TBO) concept. The focus is on the pre-tactical operations planning phase.

The project aims to verify the viability of the TBO concept, to identify barriers and enablers associated with the concept, to understand whether, under which conditions, and to what extent the objectives of : i) airspace users’ flexibility, and ii) predictability of the ATM system, can be achieved. In particular, OptiFrame seeks to demonstrate that it is possible to assign trajectories to all flights operating in the entire ECAC area, taking into account the preferences of all users (i.e., airlines) and optimizing the overall air traffic system efficiency.

The primary outcome of this research project is a framework that can be used:

as a “simulator” to address several of the issues and questions arising for the exploitation and deployment of the TBO concept, to fully understand the benefits and limitations of the TBO approach;

to investigate the optimal balance between different contrasting Key Performance Indicators relevant for the TBO concept;

as an engine for the preliminary identification, on a daily basis, of promising Air Traffic Management interventions on a continental scale in Europe (ECAC-wide area).

Consortium

Lancaster University

Lancaster University is a dynamic and multidisciplinary university ranked in the UK Top 10 and as one of the top universities in the world. At Lancaster, the OptiFrame project will be undertaken by the Centre for Transport and Logistics (CENTRAL), a recently established research centre within Lancaster University Management School. In addition to coordinating the OptiFrame project, CENTRAL will contribute to the following OptiFrame activities:

mathematical modelling of Trajectory Based Operations,

design and implementation of exact and heuristic algorithms,

development of user requirements for complex decision support systems.

CFR

CFR (Consorzio Futuro in Ricerca)is a non-profit research organisation with public and private participation aiming at the promotion, development and evaluation of human, scientific, technological and economic resources and whose main purpose is to conduct fundamental research, industrial research or experimental development and to disseminate their results via means such as teaching, publication or technology transfer.

The core activity of CFR within the OptiFrame project is the design and development of a Data Management Platform that will be used to interface the models adopted in OptiFrame with the existing databases.

EUROCONTROL

EUROCONTROL, the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation, is an intergovernmental Organisation with 41 Member States, committed to building, together with its partners, a Single European Sky that will deliver the ATM performance required for the 21st century. EUROCONTROL employs more than 1,900 professionals spread over four European countries. Their expertise is deployed to address ATM challenges in a number of key roles in the ATM domain, and not least, in the European ATM research.

In the OptiFrame project, EUROCONTROL will contribute to set the project baseline, by directly consulting major stakeholders (ECTRL NM, ANSPs, Airspace Users) for ensuring coherency between the current SESAR R&D Initiatives and the concept to be developed by OptiFrame.

NLR

NLR (the Netherlands Aerospace Centre) is a non-profit technological research institute in the Netherlands performing applied aerospace research on areas such as aerospace vehicles, aircraft systems and applications, air traffic management, and related research. The activities include concept development, system technology, advanced information processing and planning, human factors, and simulation.

NLR’s national and international activities are performed by around 660 scientists and engineers working in projects that are market oriented, independent, socially relevant, and without profit priority.

Within the OptiFrame project, NLR will be responsible for three main areas of expertise and related activities. NLR will provide experience and expertise on:

validation,

modelling and integration of Airspace User priorities and preferences into the TBO concept,

resilience engineering and robustness.

Management Structure

The OptiFrame Project is led by Lancaster University and the Centre for Transport and Logistics (CENTRAL), in partnership with CFR, EUROCONTROL and NLR. A Steering Committee, composed of four members - one representing each organisation participating in the project - has the responsibility to monitor the project progress and to support strategic decision making for the development of the project.

An Advisory Committee of stakeholders has been established to ensure the alignment of the scientific activities, project results and deliverables to the stakeholders’ expectations, to the Industrial Research SESAR2020 Projects, the European ATM Master Plan and the SESAR Concept of Operations.

The OptiFrame project is organised into the following work packages (WPs):

WP1 Project Management

WP2 State-of-the-art and Stakeholder Expectations

WP3 Data Management

WP4 Modelling of TBO

WP5 Development and Implementation of Solution Algorithms (exact and heuristic)

WP6 Validation of the OptiFrame approach in normal and disturbance cases

WP7 Implications for Decision Makers and Dissemination of results

WP8 Ethics

The Organogram of the research project represents the management structure, the relationships of the substructures/divisions to each other, and the hierarchy of management.

Workshops & Activities

1st OptiFrame Stakeholders' Workshop

On 5th October 2016 the OptiFrame project had a successful workshop in Brussels where the project's partners met and discussed their progress.

Group Members

Project

The main objective of the OptiFrame research project is the application of principles of mathematical modelling and optimization to configure and assess the performance of the Trajectory Based Operations (TBO) concept. The focus is on the pre-tactical operations planning phase.

The project aims to verify the viability of the TBO concept, to identify barriers and enablers associated with the concept, to understand whether, under which conditions, and to what extent the objectives of : i) airspace users’ flexibility, and ii) predictability of the ATM system, can be achieved. In particular, OptiFrame seeks to demonstrate that it is possible to assign trajectories to all flights operating in the entire ECAC area, taking into account the preferences of all users (i.e., airlines) and optimizing the overall air traffic system efficiency.

The primary outcome of this research project is a framework that can be used:

as a “simulator” to address several of the issues and questions arising for the exploitation and deployment of the TBO concept, to fully understand the benefits and limitations of the TBO approach;

to investigate the optimal balance between different contrasting Key Performance Indicators relevant for the TBO concept;

as an engine for the preliminary identification, on a daily basis, of promising Air Traffic Management interventions on a continental scale in Europe (ECAC-wide area).

Consortium

Lancaster University

Lancaster University is a dynamic and multidisciplinary university ranked in the UK Top 10 and as one of the top universities in the world. At Lancaster, the OptiFrame project will be undertaken by the Centre for Transport and Logistics (CENTRAL), a recently established research centre within Lancaster University Management School. In addition to coordinating the OptiFrame project, CENTRAL will contribute to the following OptiFrame activities:

mathematical modelling of Trajectory Based Operations,

design and implementation of exact and heuristic algorithms,

development of user requirements for complex decision support systems.

CFR

CFR (Consorzio Futuro in Ricerca)is a non-profit research organisation with public and private participation aiming at the promotion, development and evaluation of human, scientific, technological and economic resources and whose main purpose is to conduct fundamental research, industrial research or experimental development and to disseminate their results via means such as teaching, publication or technology transfer.

The core activity of CFR within the OptiFrame project is the design and development of a Data Management Platform that will be used to interface the models adopted in OptiFrame with the existing databases.

EUROCONTROL

EUROCONTROL, the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation, is an intergovernmental Organisation with 41 Member States, committed to building, together with its partners, a Single European Sky that will deliver the ATM performance required for the 21st century. EUROCONTROL employs more than 1,900 professionals spread over four European countries. Their expertise is deployed to address ATM challenges in a number of key roles in the ATM domain, and not least, in the European ATM research.

In the OptiFrame project, EUROCONTROL will contribute to set the project baseline, by directly consulting major stakeholders (ECTRL NM, ANSPs, Airspace Users) for ensuring coherency between the current SESAR R&D Initiatives and the concept to be developed by OptiFrame.

NLR

NLR (the Netherlands Aerospace Centre) is a non-profit technological research institute in the Netherlands performing applied aerospace research on areas such as aerospace vehicles, aircraft systems and applications, air traffic management, and related research. The activities include concept development, system technology, advanced information processing and planning, human factors, and simulation.

NLR’s national and international activities are performed by around 660 scientists and engineers working in projects that are market oriented, independent, socially relevant, and without profit priority.

Within the OptiFrame project, NLR will be responsible for three main areas of expertise and related activities. NLR will provide experience and expertise on:

validation,

modelling and integration of Airspace User priorities and preferences into the TBO concept,

Management Structure

The OptiFrame Project is led by Lancaster University and the Centre for Transport and Logistics (CENTRAL), in partnership with CFR, EUROCONTROL and NLR. A Steering Committee, composed of four members - one representing each organisation participating in the project - has the responsibility to monitor the project progress and to support strategic decision making for the development of the project.

An Advisory Committee of stakeholders has been established to ensure the alignment of the scientific activities, project results and deliverables to the stakeholders’ expectations, to the Industrial Research SESAR2020 Projects, the European ATM Master Plan and the SESAR Concept of Operations.

The OptiFrame project is organised into the following work packages (WPs):

WP1 Project Management

WP2 State-of-the-art and Stakeholder Expectations

WP3 Data Management

WP4 Modelling of TBO

WP5 Development and Implementation of Solution Algorithms (exact and heuristic)

WP6 Validation of the OptiFrame approach in normal and disturbance cases

WP7 Implications for Decision Makers and Dissemination of results

WP8 Ethics

The Organogram of the research project represents the management structure, the relationships of the substructures/divisions to each other, and the hierarchy of management.

Group Members

Research Project: FRAME

Community resilience and sustainability

The Framework for Community Resilience Assessment and Measurement (FRAME) aims to address the problem of community resilience and sustainability under regular and crisis situations in South East Asian countries. To achieve this aim, an integrated framework for assessing and measuring community resilience in South East Asian countries will be developed.

FRAME focusses on Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG 11). Community resilience is one of the major pillars of SDG 11. One of the key targets of SDG 11 is the significant reduction of deaths and the number of people affected and the significant decrease of economic losses caused by disasters with focus on protecting poor and vulnerable populations (Target 11.5).

FRAME addresses directly this target, while it cuts across a number of other Sustainable Development Goals including: Good Health and Well Being (SDG 3), Clean Water and Sanitation (SDG 6), Affordable and Clean Energy (SDG 7), Industry Innovation and Infrastructure (SDG 9), Climate Action (SDG 13) and Partnerships for the Goals (SDG 17).

Research Project: ORDER

Disaster management and information systems

Indonesia is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world. It is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where the Indo-Australian, the Eurasian and the Pacific plates meet. Natural hazards include earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, landslides, and volcanic eruptions.

ORDER strengthens the interdisciplinary research collaboration between UK researchers specialising in quantitative methods for disaster management and information systems, and Indonesian researchers and practitioners in disaster management. Based on mathematical models for decision support and integration of siloed information systems, disaster risks can be mitigated and resources for both preparedness and recovery used more efficiently. The results of our research will benefit all stakeholders involved in and/or affected by large scale natural disasters. Specifically, our results will help: i) governmental and non-governmental organisations to increase the cost-effectiveness of their emergency management operations, ii) to reduce the negative implications to the population residing in the impacted areas, iii) reduce negative environmental and economic impacts.

Visiting Research Fellows

The major thrust of Dr Androutsopoulos' research is on application of quantitative methods (mainly OR methods) for optimizing operations in Transportation and Logistics systems. In particular, his research work is focused on the following areas: Vehicle Routing and Scheduling, Routing and Scheduling in Multimodal Dynamic Transportation Networks, Scheduling in Air Transportation, Multi-criteria Decision Making and Evaluation, Planning and Evaluation of Flexible Transport Systems, Emergency Response Logistics, and Hazardous Materials Routing. He has been a principal investigator for various R&D projects in the area of Transportation and Logistics funded by the European Commission and the Greek Government. His work has been published in highly ranked academic journals of Transportation, Management Science and Operational Research, including Transportation Research Part C, European Journal of Operational Research, Transportation Research Record, Transportation, and IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems.

Paolo Dell’Olmo is a Full Professor of Operations Research at the Department of Statistical Sciences of Sapienza University of Rome (Faculty of Information Engineering, Informatics and Statistics). Director of the Master Program in Data Intelligence and Strategic Decisions. Member of the Scientific Board of the Research Center of Cyber Intelligence and Information Security of Sapienza. Member of the Board of Directors of Fondazione Sapienza. Member of the Board of Directors of InfoSapienza. Member of the Board of Directors of Telematics, Transport and Safety Association (TTS ITALIA). Member of the Board of Directors of Inter University Network for Transportation and Logistics (NITEL).

His research interests are mainly in mathematical programming and combinatorial optimisation techniques applied to real life transportation problems. In particular, Computational Complexity, Design and Analysis of Exact and Approximated Algorithms, Sequencing and Scheduling, Air Traffic Management, Logistics, Coordination of Traffic Flows on Networks, and Multi Objective Optimisation on Networks. He has been responsible for several national and international research projects and scientific consultant of Trenitalia, Areoporti di Roma (ADR), Presidenza del Consiglio (on Public Transportation) and author of more than 100 scientific papers published in international journals. Currently he is involved in research projects for the use of Open Data and Big Data in transportation services.

Michael A. Madas is a Lecturer on Supply Chain Management at the Department of Applied Informatics, School of Information Sciences, University of Macedonia. He is currently a Research Associate at the Transportation Systems and Logistics Laboratory (TRANSLOG) of the Athens University of Economics and Business, as well as the Information Systems and e-Business (ISeB) Laboratory of the University of Macedonia. His professional research experience includes the participation and active involvement in more than 15 EU-funded R&D projects.

He has 10 publications in highly recognized, international, scientific journals, 4 publications in edited volumes and books, and more than 25 papers included in conference proceedings. His research and teaching interests focus on the strategic management and resource planning of transportation systems and transport operators/companies, airport demand management and slot allocation mechanisms, airport capacity and delay analysis, transport policy and pricing, as well as ICT applications and impacts on logistics and transport systems.

Stephen is a post-doctoral researcher at the Zuse Institute Berlin, Germany. His research focuses on solution algorithms for mixed integer programming problems. This involves the development of the mixed integer programming solver SCIP, which is part of the SCIP optimisation suite.

The current areas of development are the internal parallelisation of SCIP, the use of large-neighbourhood search techniques as exact approaches and the application of decomposition to improve the dual simplex method. In addition, Stephen is interested in the application of mixed integer programming to solve network and routing problems arising in aviation, bioinformatics, public health and climate science. Stephen investigates novel enhancements of decomposition techniques, such as column generation and Benders' decomposition, to solve large-scale optimisation problems from real-world applications.

Stephen completed his PhD at the University of New South Wales, Australia. In 2012 Stephen was awarded the Anna Valicek medal from the Airline Group of IFORS for his paper "The recoverable robust tail assignment problem". His PhD thesis was awarded the dissertation prize from the Aviation Applications Section of INFORMS in 2014.